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Kota the Triceratops makes our childhood toys look like wooden blocks
As if there weren't enough toys out there already to make us grown-ups incredibly envious of kids today, Playskool's now taken the wraps off its new Kota the Triceratops "toy," which looks to be the closest thing to a Pleo that you (or, rather, your kids) can actually ride. While we're guessing Kota's few notches below Pleo on the robo-evolutionary ladder, the 40-inch tall toy at least has movement sensors on nine areas of its body, and is able to react to you by moving its head, tail, mouth, and horns, not to mention play "adventure-themed songs" at the push of a button. Look for it to be available this fall for about $300, with six D cell batteries required to power it.[Via Popgadget]
Pleo ready for US pre-order: $349 for your eventual destruction
Check it US Pleo hopefuls, UGOBE is now taking pre-orders for the hotly anticipated dinobot. The price? Well, it's not $250, or even $300 as we were originally told. Rather, the cuddly killer is now pegged at $349. Pre-orders can be executed directly from the UGOBE website or via the usual array of on-line retail partners. Unfortunately, you'll have to wait a few months before your Pleo can "inspire mystery and awe as a companion" -- it doesn't ship until October. Plenty of time to ponder the threat of inviting a robot and dinosaur into your home. Now head on over to Pleoworld for plenty of hot, groaning, dino-on-dino action. [Thanks, Vladimiro]Read -- Press Release [warning: PDF] Read -- Pleoworld [warning: moaning robots, crank down the volume]
Virtually Overlooked: Bronkie the Bronchiasaurus
Welcome to our weekly feature, Virtually Overlooked, wherein we talk about games that aren't on the Virtual Console yet, but should be. Call it a retro-speculative. Some of the games we cover in this feature are worth talking about just because of their concepts. Zombie Nation, about a giant flying head, for example. Bronkie the Bronchiasaurus might be the ultimate conceptually-interesting game, at least to us, since it is one of the most bizarre and incongruous things ever to appear on a console. Bronkie is an educational side-scrolling platformer for the SNES about an anthropomorphic dinosaur with asthma.
Crave opening big box of virtual Crayolas
The washable-crayon-stylus hybrid thing seen here may still be a dream in our somewhat odd fanboy minds, but it is true that Crayola is bringing its unique brand of waxy, brittle pigment to the DS in electronic form. The company has made an agreement with publisher Crave to release a Crayola-themed DS game.Apparently, the game will be a minigame collection, with all of the minigames involving drawing and coloring with a wide selection of Crayola crayons. We're excited about this if only for the possibility that we may get to color a dinosaur. And because this way we won't lose 33 of our 64 colors within a week.
UGOBE delays the Pleo again, adds new sounds and sensor
We won't go so far as to call this thing vaporware: there's clearly an uber-cute, finger-biting robot in the works here (and that new press shot to prove it!), but our confidence has been shaken by this latest Pleo delay. UGOBE, which was claiming until recently that it would begin taking orders of some sort in March, with a price of roughly $250, has just announced that it's going to be releasing the bot in the summer of 2007 for about $300. To blame for the delays are new improvements based on test user interactions, including a brand new chin sensor -- sensor number 35 for anyone keeping track -- because that seems to be a touching favorite. Pleo is also getting better and louder speakers and an increased number of sounds for "fostering an emotional connection." Finally, UGOBE is brushing up the looks, with better sculpting in the hard plastic parts and more detailed eyes, along with adding muscle-like tissue under the skin to enhance the feel. You can't fault UGOBE for trying to make this thing perfect, we just wish they'd make it perfect a little sooner already. Peep a couple new shots of Pleo after the break.
Ugobe readies Pleo for pre-order, kicks out feature spot
Sure, you've probably seen way more Wowwee robot action in the past few weeks than you ever thought your retinas could stand, but since you persevered, why not give this not-exactly-related family member a few ticks of your time too? Ugobe's Pleo has been a long time coming, and while we've seen a small clip of the dino in action before, now the two-week old Camarasaurus has its very own advertising spot. The video showcases the wee creature's ability to "sense," feel emotions, walk, interact with its environment, and "learn" over time. Furthermore, it looks like the company's previous estimates of a March launch date could be on target after all, as the website now states that pre-order information will be available in four short days. So if you're even pondering picking up an intelligent pet from the Jurassic period that doesn't even need those uber-expensive booster shots, click on through for the marketing hoopla. [Thanks, Eric C.]
